Former Miami baseball coach Ron Fraser dies

Published January 21. 2013 12:08AM

Ron Fraser, the longtime Miami baseball coach who won two national championships with the Hurricanes and whose innovative marketing ideas helped spark a surge in the college game's popularity, has died.

Family spokesman Tony Segreto said Fraser died Sunday morning. Fraser, known as "the wizard of college baseball," had battled Alzheimer's disease for many years. It was believed that Fraser was 79, though his family's statement did not release his age or other private matters, including a cause of death.

Fraser led Miami to national titles in 1982 and 1985, taking the Hurricanes to the College World Series 12 times over his 30 years at the school. He retired in 1992 with 1,271 wins, never having a losing season in his three decades overseeing the program.

Fraser also played a key role in getting baseball on national television. And now, the College World Series - the entire NCAA tournament, really - is a mainstay on TV, as are hundreds of regular-season games annually.